1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic percussion, instrument including an impact sensor which converts vibration of a head being struck with a beater into an electric signal so as to generate an electronic musical sound.
The present application claims priority on Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-49038 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-47222, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally-known electronic percussion instruments are designed to generate an electronic musical sound based on an electric signal output from an impact sensor which detects vibration of a head being struck with a beater. Patent Literature Document 1 (PLT1) discloses an electronic percussion instrument serving as an electronic bass drum with a circular head, made of an elastic material whose periphery is engaged with a frame. An impact sensor is attached to the back of a strike area corresponding to the center of a head via a center cushion with an outer periphery encompassed by a ring-shaped damper cushion. A vibrating wave occurs when the strike area of a head is struck with a beater. A vibrating wave is transmitted toward the periphery of a head, bounced back, and then attenuated by the damper cushion.
In the electronic percussion instrument of PLT1, a large vibration occurs in the entirety of the internal area of the head, which is positioned inward of the periphery of the head in the radius direction, when the head is struck with a beater, thus rapidly increasing or decreasing the pressure in the back of the head. Due to nonexistence of the thick portion of a frame in the back of the head, it may be possible to slightly vent air via a small gap in the back of the head due to an increase of pressure in the head being struck with a beater. However, the space in the back of die head is occupied by the cushion material which is used to maintain an impact sensor at the predetermined position, which may be an obstacle to the inlet and outlet of air; hence, it is difficult to secure adequate air ventilation in the back of the head of an electronic percussion instrument.
The electronic percussion instrument of PLT1 generates an impulsive sound (i.e. a sound directly caused by an impact of a head being struck with a beater) independently of an electronic musical sound which is generated based on an electric signal output from an impact sensor which, detects vibration occurring on a head being struck with a beater. A large impulsive sound accompanied with art electronic musical, sound is offensive to human's ears, and therefore an impulsive sound may degrade the sound quality of an electronic percussion instrument in terms of articulation; hence, it is difficult to secure “noiselessness” in playing an electronic percussion instrument which electronically generates musical sounds. Additionally, a large impulsive sound may degrade the durability of a head and its related parts in an electronic percussion instrument.